Pocket tobacco case and cutter.



No. 881,920. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908.

A. B. HADEAN.

POCKET TOBACCO CASE AND CUTTER.

APPLICATION TILED Nov. 23, 1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW B. HADEAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

POCKET TOBACCO CASE AND CUTTER.

I No. 881,920.,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW B. IIADEAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Pocket Tobacco Case and Cutter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a device to be used for incasing or .holding a piece or a portion of a plug of tobacco so that it may be carried in the pocket of the user without soiling the clothes and without be coming saturated with perspiration, and for cutting off portions of the piece or plug for use in chewing or for a pipe; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and o eration of the various parts thereof, as wil be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a combined tobacco case and cutter of the above described character, which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, strong, durable and effective in operation, and so made that in the operation of opening the cutting members or blades the piece of tobacco will be automatically projected at a sufficient distance through the front portion of the casing to permit of a portion thereof being cut off by means of the blades in the operation of closing the members so as to form a tightly closed casing for the tobacco, thus preventing it coming in contact with the clothes of the wearer and soiling the same, and also protecting the tobacco from perspiration.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Will be disclosed in the subjoined' de scription and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains, to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the casing and cutter showing its parts in their closed positions as they will appear when viewed from the front portion; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 22 of Fi 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows showing the parts closed and a piece of tobacco located therein; Fig. 3 is a similar view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, but showing the position of the parts when the cut- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 23, 1907.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Serial No. 403,492.

ting members have been opened and a piece of tobacco projected forwardly so that a portion thereof may be cut off by means of the blades or knives of the cutting members; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the tobaccoholder and guide for the spring-actuated plunger used for forwardly projecting the piece of tobacco.

Like numerals of reference, refer to corresponding parts throughout the different views of the drawing.

The reference numeral 10 designates, as a whole, the holder for the piece of tobacco and comprises two upright parallel side pieces 11 which are joined together by a transverse portion 12 at their rear ends while their front ends are left free or disconnected so that the piece of tobacco may be inserted between said ends and projected from the same. Each of the side members 11 is provided at each of its edges with an inwardly extending flange 13 which will act as guides for the piece of tobacco as well as for the springactuated plunger which is used to project the tobacco through the open end of the casing, as will be presently explained.

WVhile I prefer to make the holder, as shown in Fig. 4, rectangular in cross-section and with its top and bottom portions mainly open, yet it is evident that they may be closed, and that the shape of the casing may be other than rectangular, as shown. Secured to each of the side pieces 11 is a spring .14 which project beyond the front ends of the sides 11, and each has an inturned projection 15 to engage the front end of the piece of tobacco 16 so as to check or stop its forward movement. Secured at one of its ends to the inner surface of the rear portion 12 of the holder is a spring 17 which has mounted on its other end a plunger 18 which is of a proper size and shape to fit snugly in the holder yet so as to move freely therein. Pivotally secured to the sides of the holder nearits rear end and near its top and bottom as at 19 (see Fig. 3) are the prongs or sides 20 of two cutting members 21 each of which extends across the front portion of the holder 10 and is provided with an inwardly extending blade 22 which are adapted to meet or approximate each other at their cutting edges, when the members carrying the same are forced together in the operation of cutting the tobacco. The prongs or sides 20 of each of the cutting members extend rearwardly from the transverse portion 21 thereof, and are spaced 1 apart so as to embrace the sides of the holder 10, as will be readily understood by reference to the drawing.

Pivotally secured near their front ends to the sides of each of the members 21 and near its front end'is a lever 23 which have their front ends pivotally secured together as at 24 (see Fig. 1 of the drawing), and each of the levers 23 is perfectly made in the form of a box-like casing adapted to fit over the main portion of the prongs of the cutting members, and the rear portion of the tobacco holder, yet when in their closed positions will be slightly separated at their rear ends so that they may be readily grasped by the hands of the user and opened outwardly, in which operation it is apparent that the cutting members 21 will also be moved outwardly and from each other as shown in Fig. 3, in which movement the piece of tobacco 16 will be forced forwardly by means of the spring 17 and plunger 18 until the projections 15 on the springs 14 engage the front end of the piece 16 when its further forward movement will be prevented. When thus held. in its projected position it is obvious that by pressing the levers 23 towards each other the blades 22 of the cutting members will be forced into the piece of tobacco so as to sever its front portion, in which positions the blades will cover the front end of the piece 16 of tobacco and prevent it being projected from the casing.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen and understood that the front portion of each of the levers 23 is cut away as at 25, thus providing forwardlyprojecting extensions of said levers and also furnishing recesses in which the transverse portions 21 of the cutting members may fit and operate. The rear portion of each of the prongs 20 of the cutting members is provided with a segmental gear 26 just below their pivots 19 and mesh with one another so as to cause the blades 22 on the front ends of the cutting members to act uniformly in their operation of severing a piece of tobacco.

From the foregoing and by reference to the drawing it will be clearly understood and readily seen that the improved tobacco case and cutter constructed according to my invention is of an extremely simple nature and is especially well adapted for use by reason of its compact form and character of its operation, and it will also be obvious from the above description that the device is susceptible of considerable modification without material departure from the principles and spirit of the invention, and for this reason I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the precise form and arrangement of the several parts of the device as herein set forth in carrying out my invention in practice.

Having thus fully described my invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. A tobacco case and cutter consisting of a holder having one of its ends open, a pair of blade-carrying-members pivotally secured to the holder, a blade on the front portion of each of said members, a pair of levers pivotally connected at their front ends and each fulcrumed on one of the blade-car *ing-members, and a spring-actuated plun er located in the holder.

2. A tobacco case and cutter consisting of a holder having one of its ends open, a pair of bladecarryingmembers pivotally secured at their rear portions to the rear part of the holder, a blade on the front portion of each of said members adapted to extend across and in front of the holder, a pair of levers pivotally connected at their front ends and each fulcrumed on the front portion of one of the bladecarrying-members, and a spring-actuated plunger located in the holder.

3. A tobacco case and cutter consisting of a holder having one of its ends open, a spring -on the open or front part of the holder provided'with an inwardly extended projection, a pair of blade-carrying-members pivotally secured to the holder, a blade on the front portion of each of said members, a pair of levers pivotally connected at their front ends and each fulcrumed on one of the bladecarrying members, and a spring actuated plunger located in the holder.

4. A tobacco case and cutter consisting of a holder having one of its ends open, a pair.

of springs located on the holder at its open end and opposite each other, each of said springs having an inwardly extended projection at its outer end, a pair of blade-carrying-nhembers pivotally secured to the holder, a blade on the front portion of each of said members and adapted to extend across and in front of the open end of the holder, a pair of levers pivotally connected at their front ends and each fulcrumed on one of the bladecarrying members, and a spring actuated plunger located in the holder.

5. A tobacco case and cutter consisting of a holder having one of its ends open, a pair of blade-carrying-members each comprising a transverse portion having rearwardly extending and parallel prongs pivotally secured at their rear' portions to the sides of the holder near its rear end, a blade on the front portion of each of said members, a pair of levers pivotally connected at their front ends and each fulcrumed on one of the bladecarrying members, and a spring actuated plunger located in the holder.

6. A tobacco case and cutter consisting of a holder having one of its ends open, a pair of springs secured to the holder at its open end and each having at its free end an inwardly extending projection, a pair of blade-carrying-members each comprising a transverse portion provided With rearWardly extending parallel prongs pivotally secured at their rear ends to the rear portion of the holder, said prongs having at their rear portions segmental gears to intermesh with one another in pairs, a blade on the front portion of each of said members, a pair of levers pivotally connected at their front ends and each fulcrumed on one of the blade-carrying- 10 members, and a spring-actuated plunger located in the holder.

ANDREWV B. HADEAN. WVitnesses:

CHAS. C. TILLMAN, M. A. NYMAN. 

